Straightedge Saved Me
by xoxoyouknowyouwantmexoxo
Summary: {au} Lana doesn't realize she needs a hero, nor does she realize that CM Punk wants to be that hero. He's had a sort of silent crush on the troubled Diva for a while now, but when her personal life collides with her life on the road, and he steps in, saves her, will she let him save her like he wants to? Or will she be resistant? CM Punk / OC, graphic abuse swearing warning. r
1. It Ends Tonight - Intro

Having been on the roster, quietly observing her end of the status quo, being invisible, for over two years now, Lana gaped at the monitor when her former friend AJ started to pop her mouth off while standing in the ring.

"She's really serious. She's finally freaking lost it." Lana muttered quietly as she raked her hand through thick brown hair, looked again at the screen.

When Stephanie's music hit, Lana bit her lip and then said with a grim tone of voice, "Well, that's the end of that." as she watched the two women standing nose to nose in the ring, with Stephanie bending down so that she was eyelevel with AJ.

"Does she not realize what she's doing is going to get her ass kicked 9 ways to Sunday?" Lana muttered as Natalya spoke up from beside her and then said "It'd be funny if we all went down there when Steph's done."

"It would, but.."

"But nothing, Lana. Remember what she did to you last month when you were tagging with her? That one slip up, on purpose, could have ended you." Natalya pointed out, reminding Lana grimly of just how badly things had gone lately for her.

Lana's shoulders stiffened. Lately, she'd been thinking about just calling it quits and leaving professional wrestling all together. Nobody back home in Michigan could say she hadn't tried, if she came back now.

She had tried.

She just hadn't had the look or the angle to get her noticed.

And the other Divas more or less avoided her, didn't really go out of their way to talk to her. All but AJ, and lately, Lana didn't even have that lately, because AJ had turned on her during a tag match earlier in the month.

It was almost like the universe was giving her a sign of some kind, but she wasn't sure whether it was to quit while she was ahead, or do something and make herself noticed.

Creative didn't know what to do with her -that was made obvious by the fact that she'd been here over 2 years and she'd had mostly dark matches, maybe 2 or 3 real ones on the live show, when the o ther girls weren't in the 'mood' to compete, strictly as a last resort,- and she really didn't have an actual fan base, to her knowledge.

She never got any storylines, not even the stupid ones like Natalya managed to get into and then complain about constantly.

But for over 2 years now, she'd stuck it out because she loved the sport too much to quit.

Lately, things had gotten to the point that Lana was really wondering if she were cut out for the business at all, because to be honest, she wasn't catty, or good at any particular skill set, or good at the mic (especially given she was the shyest one on the lineup, and actually pretty damn private about her personal life) and she wasn't pretty enough to be used strictly as a valet.

"You alright?" Cameron asked as Lana sighed and said "Yeah, this whole thing though, it's really grating my last nerve. Who the fuck does she think she is? She's got a belt now and all of a sudden she's better than the rest of us?" surprising her female peers at her outburst as she crushed the Red Bull she held in her hands, sending red liquid flying everywhere, not caring.

Lana, for once, was mad. And if she was going to hang it all up after tonight? She was going out with one final bang.

She was going to get revenge on her friend turned enemy for what she did to her last month when Lana had finally gotten a small chance to prove herself on live television only to have AJ blow it all to hell by blindsiding her with a betrayal.

"Where are you going?"

"Down there with Kaitlyn. If I'm quitting, might as well give McMahon a damn good excuse to finally be rid of me, right?" Lana asked with a quiet and accepting smile as she let the door slam behind her and picked up a chair, the weight of it in her hands reminding her of what she was about to do.

If she did this, there was most likely no coming back for her. She quickly thought it over and sighing said "What the hell, right? It's not like I'll even be missed, I didn't really know anyone.."

Not caring that she was in her street clothes, a pair of jeans, a ripped and tied Motley Crue t shirt, and her checkerboard Vans, she ran down the ramp just as Kaitlyn attacked AJ.

"Move, Kaitlyn." Lana demanded, looking at her former friend with stone cold eyes as she shoved Kaitlyn out of her way and then said with a smirk, "This is between me and her."

Kaitlyn looked at this intense and very rage filled side of a girl who until now never said more than two words to anyone backstage and then a slow smirk filled her face as she said "AJ.. Karma's a bitch, isn't it?"

AJ blinked, and in the split second it took her to do so, the chair caught her in the head. Lana dropped the chair then turned on her heel, gestured for Kaitlyn to carry on and quietly, calmly walked back up the ramp and into the locker room, ignoring the questioning stares she got as she entered the room.

She also ignored the stares she got as she threw her gear into her bag, swearing under her breath in left over anger as she did so.

When she walked out, Layla turned to Natalya and then asked, "What was that about?"

"Why'd she pack her gear? Stephanie actually looked kind of surprised, but in a good way. And Kaitlyn, hell.. Kaitlyn was grinning like the cat that ate the canary, or a proud mother." Natalya said as she sighed and then realized why Lana came in, grabbed her gear and left.

The things the girl said before leaving to go down to the ring moments ago made sense now. She was giving up, which was sad really.

Out in the parking garage, she'd been walking towards her black Ducati superbike when she heard a guy speak up from behind her, heard the jingling of keys as the guy said casually, "Hell of a swing." and deposited the keys in her hand as she held it over her shoulder, not even bothering to turn around as she said "Yeah, thanks. I played baseball for a summer or two. 3Rd baseman and hitter." before calmly getting on the bike, starting it up, revving the engine as she slid her earphones in, let Metallica begin to play.

The reality of what she'd just done had yet to set in. But when she reached the hotel, she lie back on her bike, looking up at the stars that were out, letting it all wash over her. And then she started to tear up.

"It's finally over for me." she muttered as she fumbled around in her pocket for her cell phone and then asked, "Yeah what?" stiffly.

She swore as she heard her father's voice and realized he was drunk again, in jail again.

"Okay, dad.. Get someone to bail you, I'm coming home anyway."

"Told you you'd never be worth a shit, didn't I?" her father asked her snidely as he huffed and said "Woman's place is with a good man, not off fighting on tv. All that time you wasted, you coulda been here, takin care of me and your brothers."

"Don't start, dad, please." Lana said quietly as she bit her lip, trying to bite down her anger.

To her shock, her anger just wouldn't stay down any more, not since earlier and when he spoke again, " Wasted all that damn time, all that damn money you coulda gave one of your brothers to go to college on some damn stupid dream." she completely lost it.

Everything she'd done, up until this point, to be honest, had been for everyone else in her life. And frankly, now that her mind was clear, the blinders were off, she was getting sick of being everyone's doormat.

It had to end sometime, right?

Why not tonight?

"For one thing, dad.. It was my money. If my brothers wanted to go to college, they should have gotten off their asses and went. For another? I gave all three of you plenty. What about all the money you took? What about all the things I missed out on because my brothers wanted something?" Lana asked calmly, quietly.

All she got for an answer was a dialtone.

With a sigh, she gritted her teeth and shoved the phone into her pocket after turning it completely off. Then she walked into the hotel, calmly checked out and started to drive with no real idea as to where she'd even go now.

She couldn't go home, and she'd probably just blown her life's dream with her stunt tonight.

She didn't stop driving until she reached Florida, and when she got there, she sort of just spent a ton of time on the beach at first, taking it all in, going to all the local tourist spots, going out every night.

Basically, she just stopped living for anyone else but herself. But the urge to go back to the sport she loved was still inside her, waiting to resurface, even when she got a job at a gym, and another at a garage, just to keep from going crazy with boredom.

Little did she realize that it wasn't over, not by a long shot..

_(Authors Note: Okay, so I **love** AJ, I'm glad she's the Diva's champ, but for some reason, this small plot attacked me out of nowhere and I wrote it down. I don't know if I'll even continue it, or where it came from, but I'm going to post it. Maybe I'll continue if I get more ideas for it. If you like it, tell me. I'm thinking the next chapter might be a month or two later, if I get any people who like this.)_


	2. Am I A Heyman GIrl Or Not? - 2 mths

2 months later

Florida was good. Lana was relaxed and she was starting to slip into a routine, although occasionally, the urge to fight again hit her and she had to remind herself that when she'd done what she'd done on Raw the night after Payback, she'd probably lost her job.

Her jobs at the gym and the garage were enough to keep her mind from wandering mostly, and she hadn't talked to her dad or her brothers in 2 months, so she wasn't stressed there, either. She'd taken up drag racing, and she'd started to really live her life on her own terms. She was figuring out who she was as a person, not being forced to fit into some mold of what everyone around her thought she should be.

She hadn't spoken to anybody from the roster, and she really hadn't tried to find out what would have happened to her, had she dared to show her face at Smackdown that Friday.

"Hey, Jim? I need a 9/16ths over here, man." she called out from beneath the chassis of a 77 Camaro, as the wrench was placed into her hand, along with a card of some sort.

She raised a brow and looked at the car beneath the dim lighting she had rigged nearby to see better in the semi darkness of the garage and then the voice above her said " What makes someone go from probably the best temper tantrum seen on live tv, to working in some hole in the wall garage in Florida?"

She chuckled when she heard the voice. Paul Heyman.

Sliding out from beneath the car, she handed him the card back and said with a raised brow, "McMahon know you're even here?"

"Actually, he does. Your contract wasn't up, Ms. O' Brien, why leave?"

"Maybe because I knew I wasn't cut out for it?" Lana ventured as she raked her hand through her long, dark hair as she passed her lower lip between her teeth in thought.

"Have you been watching the show at all since you've been gone? Have you kept up your training? I understand from your trainer you were always in the gym, always working." Paul asked as he looked at the girl in confusion.

Lana shrugged and said "Maybe. Maybe not. But it doesn't matter anyway, because I'm pretty sure any contract I had with the company's been long since voided out.. McMahon doesn't like it when you attack one of his girls." as she turned her back, began to walk towards the tool box, placing the wrench he'd handed her (a wrong one, of course, could she really have expected any less from the guy?) back in, retrieving the correct one, before sliding the hair elastic off her wrist and into her sweat dampened hair, pulling it up, off her neck.

"So you're just going to let that be it?" Paul asked as he looked at her. He could tell he was hitting a nerve, he just had to figure out which buttons in the girl to push.

"Basically, I thought about it, yeah. Why? You gonna make me an offer I can't refuse?" Lana asked dryly as she used air quotes to accentuate her pun and fixed her eyes on the man, trying to figure out his angle..

What was HE getting in all of this? Because she certainly wasn't up to her own personal standards of what a Diva should be.

If she had been, she'd have made it on her own by now.

She wouldn't be, as he so delicately put it, working at some hole in the wall garage, now would she?

Definitely not. Because she might have been a doormat for everyone who'd come and gone from her life, but she'd never quit on anything she knew she could sooner or later be the best at.

Heyman was determined. He knew that HHH was in thought mode, and that the girl he was talking to right now, was one of the people he was considering.

He'd never once considered taking on a female client who wasn't a model, but this was a dire case. He had to get to her before McMahon did.

"Look, Heyman, buddy.. I'm glad you thought enough of me to come and check up or whatever, but I just told you.. I'm not what you're looking for, because I'm not pretty, I'm not anywhere near as talented as one of the other girls, and I have no interest whatsoever in modeling, and frankly, I don't get why you're here.." Lana said finally, as she looked at him with a raised brow, her hand on her hip, waiting on an explanation.

"Just keep my card. If you change your mind and you want to try it again, call me. I'll have someone come and get you, Ms. O'Brien." Paul Heyman said with a smirk as he started to walk out. To his amazement, she didn't stop him when he was out the door.

Lana shrugged it off, shoved the card down into the pocket of her cutoffs. After she'd washed off, changed to some cleaner clothes, she set off for the dirt track she'd been racing on every weekends.

It wasn't fighting, but it was still a justifiable adrenaline rush and it made her feel alive, so that counted for something.

All the while, as she drove to the race track for the night, her mind kept nagging at her, _'Do it, Lana.. Or are you really every bit the pussy and the doormat that everyone thinks you are? You know you want to go back..'_

The card in her pocket was beginning to burn a hole in her pocket. And she was beginning to have serious doubts as to whether she was really done with professional wrestling, as she had two months prior similar ones about whether she truly belonged there.

Now, she was confused.. If she went back, what would she be getting into? She knew she had a serious decision to make. She wanted to go back, but did she have what it took to go back? To do what she set out to do when she'd signed on with the company in the first place?

All she had to do was wait on someone who actually worked for the company to contact her. Stubbornness and pride wouldn't allow her to call first.

By the end of her night at the track, racing, she checked her phone, and she blinked when she saw that she had at least 3 missed calls.

One from Kaitlyn, and two from Mr. McMahon wanting to know what she wanted to do about her contract, wanting her to come in and talk about it in person.

She bit her lip. It was official, she now had a huge decision to make. The real question was how BADLY did she actually want it now?

When she thought about it, she realized she wanted it pretty damn bad.

With her mind made up as far as going back went, she fell into bed that night, her mind spinning.. What was she about to get herself into?

* * *

_(Authors Note: Okay, so I **love** AJ, I'm glad she's the Diva's champ, but for some reason, this small plot attacked me out of nowhere and I wrote it down. I don't know if I'll even continue it, or where it came from, but I'm going to post it. Maybe I'll continue if I get more ideas for it. If you like it, tell me.)  
_


	3. Made My Decision And My Return Pt 1

Making My Decision And My Return, Pt 1

Instead of calling the company she was dying to go back to right back, immediately, Lana took a few extra days (almost 2 weeks total) and went to Michigan... Where for her, the process of being a doormat for everyone began. She stood in the middle of the graveyard her mother was buried in, sighed to herself as she raked her hands through her long brown hair, bit her lower lip and knelt down.

"Hi Mom?" she muttered quietly as she looked at the photo she'd put on the top of the headstone before stopping to take a few deep breaths and saying, "I have a second shot at the thing I've always wanted to do.. And two different paths I could take.. I don't really know what to do."

This was silly, standing here in the August late afternoon, talking to a headstone. She barely remembered her mother, and she found herself wishing that she had her around to talk to. So, sometimes, when she had a problem, or she wanted to get away from that hell hole she'd grown up in, she'd sneak out, steal some beers from her father's garage mini fridge and come down here. The habit hadn't changed in her growing up. She still came here, voiced her opinions aloud to a silent audience of 1.

It might seem crazy, but most of the time it really helped. It had when she'd come by a few hours after she'd walked away from it all 2 months ago thinking it was over. She leaned against the bench nearby, jamming her hands into her eyes, determined not to cry, she always wanted to when she came here, because losing her mother when she had, well, it'd been the beginning of a very long, tiring and hellish life.

One she was finally coming into her own in, taking back control over it.

The voice from behind her startled her and she turned, looking around. Nobody was there, but she had this odd sensation of being watched. Raking her hand through her hair, she blew out the candle she'd bought with her, and then said quietly, "I think I know what you'd tell me." before turning, walking over to the gate nearby, where she'd parked her Ducati superbike.

The show was back in Detroit tonight, not far from where she hailed from in Michigan, if she wanted to, and she drove like a bat out of hell, she could get this part of things out of the way now. She might as well see what McMahon were offering, see what she'd be getting herself back into this time around.

She started the bike, headed for Detroit, her mind being tugged in all different directions. It seemed like not even 2 minutes later, when it'd actually been 20 at best, she was parking her Ducati near a black Range Rover in the Superstar's parking area and heading towards the backstage doors.

"I'm here to talk to Vince McMahon." she told the guard in place as he asked, "Name?"

"Lana O'Brien."

"Go down the hall, take a left turn. He's been waiting on you to show up." the guard said as Lana raised a brow, but shrugging it off, putting off to the guard's just being casual, she proceeded to walk where he'd sent her back at the door, her hand hesitating on the knob when a voice spoke up from behind her.

Kaitlyn blinked and then asked, "So are you back?"

"Don't quite know yet." Lana muttered casually, as she stepped into the office, or tried to, only to be stopped by Kaitlyn who said "HHH he umm, talked to me.. Said in light of what happened, maybe myself and Nat could mentor you or something? Until they figure out a good angle for all of us."

"I'll see what McMahon tells me then let you know if I'm in." Lana said as she smiled a little, pushed open the door to the office and took a seat inside when McMahon gave her a nod.

"Where the hell did you go?" he asked first, as he looked up at her, waiting on an answer.

"I wasn't sure if I was cut out for this, really. I needed time to think, get back in control of my own life."

"Ahh, so it was personal then."

"Very personal."

"Well? Did you resolve your issues, Ms. O'Brien?" Vince asked calmly, his tone formal and stiff as he looked at her. From the looks of the girl, she'd been keeping in much better shape than she had been while actually active on the roster.

"Actually, it's a work in progress. I have so damn many, sir, they might not all ever be resolved. But if you're asking if I still want to fight, then the answer's yes.. But I want to make sure that this time I'm not coming back to nothing. I realize I have no logical right to demand something of you, given I walked away, but.. I want one thing."

"Define one thing."

"I want AJ Lee in a cage match. Don't give me that look, McMahon, you saw what happened a month before Kaitlyn and I attacked her on Raw. She could have ended my career with her improper execution of that move, and I want my shot at revenge."

Vince pondered it over and then smirked as he saw the dollar signs behind a good Diva's feud. A really good one, not one that gets worked out or dropped halfway into the storyline. And Kaitlyn, this girl both hated AJ enough to keep fueling the fire for a while to come. AJ did need to learn a lesson..

"It might not be a cage match, but I think I might have something in mind."

"Oh and Kaitlyn deserves her own shot at revenge. What AJ did to her was beyond humiliating. I'd think it's worthwhile for you to look into."

"A title shot?"

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Do you want a title shot?"

"Not presently, no. I just want to fight again. I do, however, want more matches. It wouldn't be fair to the other girls to just throw me into the race for a title yet. Besides, I'm not interested in the belt. I just like to fight." Lana said as Vince studied her intently, wondering what she was up to, why she wasn't after the belt.

"This was a fairly easy negotiation." Vince muttered as Lana looked at him and smirking said "Oh and one other thing.. I pick my own ring gear. I hate the costumes. I want to be myself. No mask, no gimmick, just me. It took me long enough to figure out just who that was, I'm in no real hurry to take up some gimmick."

Vince nodded and then asked, "I heard Paul Heyman came to see you?"

"Yeah, but it's a non issue. I saw what he had Lesnar do to Punk when Punk got tired of his intervention. Not interested in working with someone I can't trust."

"But from the things I've gathered tonight, you don't trust anyone." Vince asked, confused a little, smirking. He liked this new found ruthless streak in the girl, he really did.

He'd severly underestimated her before, he was starting to realize.

"Exactamundo, McMahon. I trust myself, because I'm the only one who's gonna take care of me. Took a long time to learn that, and it's sad, but it's true." Lana said as she smoothed her hands over her jeans, then asked seconds later, "So am I signing or..."

"I thought you'd ask." Vince said with a calm smirk as he shoved her reworked contract across the table to her.

Lana signed her name, again, and then pushed the contract back across the thickly wooded desk, turning to walk out as his voice stopped her at the door.

"You have a match tonight."

She bit her lip and felt her nerves begin to twist and turn. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself she had complete control of this, and walked out of the office, and down the hallway, turning a corner, smashing into AJ Lee.

AJ gaped at the last of her friends, the last one she'd turned on, alienated and then she smirked predatorily as Lana smirked the same way, right back.

"Aww, AJ, you look surprised.. And maybe just a little bit afraid?" Lana said calmly, her eyes maintaining a cold and angry, steady gaze at the other petite brunette.

"What the hell are you doing back? No matter.. I'll make you quit again, soon enough.. You and that bitch Kaitlyn."

"If that's what you think, AJ." Lana said with a disinterested shrug as she shoved past AJ, walked down the hallway towards the Diva's locker room. She took a deep breath, pushed open the door and walked in as if she hadn't just disappeared for 2 months.

"Well?" Kaitlyn asked, tapping her foot impatiently, as she studied the other girl's face.

"Well, I resigned with the company.. And apparently, I have a match tonight." Lana grumbled in shock as she palmed her forehead and said "Shit. I'm gonna have to fight in street clothes. I left my gear bag at the hotel I'm in, because I wasn't sure what I was going to do as far as my contract."

Natalya checked the lineup and then said "You're fighting Aksana."

"Oh boy.." Lana muttered dryly as she began getting herself ready, lacing her combat boots, taping her wrists.

"What are you coming back in as?" Kaitlyn asked as Lana shrugged, smirked and then said "All I know right now girls, is I'm just doing this as it comes to me."

She walked to the gorilla, bouncing on the tips of her toes as she smirked and shoved a cd at the audio guy, Bert. "Shut up and play it." she said with a wink as Seek and Destroy began to play when she walked down the ramp, towards the ring. She grabbed a mic and said calmly, "AJ? If I were you, I'd pay really close attention. Because this match? It's nothing in comparison to what I'm planning on doing to you. You know how you said Kaitlyn abandoned you? Well you fucking turned on me and AJ? If there's one thing I know, it's that payback is a bitch."

Kaitlyn snickered, high fiving Natalya in the back as they stood watching the match, Kaitlyn ready to run down and help the girl she'd be mentoring if the need arose.

Little did she realize, there was also a male Superstar watching, waiting to do just the same thing.

* * *

_(Authors Note: Okay, so I **love** AJ, I'm glad she's the Diva's champ, but for some reason, this small plot attacked me out of nowhere and I wrote it down. I don't know if I'll even continue it, or where it came from, but I'm going to post it. Maybe I'll continue if I get more ideas for it. If you like it, tell me. Okay, need pairing suggestions..)  
_


	4. Made My Decision And My Return Pt 2

Making My Decision And My Return, Pt 2

"From Ann Arbor, Michigan, weighing in at 135 lbs, making her return to action tonight, it's Lana O'Brien." Jerry Lawler said as Michael Cole added, "According to my sources, she's just coming back from a 2 month leave. You have to wonder, is she in the shape to fight?" as JBL laughed to himself and then said "Well, let's watch, find out."

Aksana blinked as instead of the girls usual rap song, a heavy metal one began to play, and she walked down the ramp with a calm and cold smirk, wearing her street clothes, not her ring gear. "This should be easy." the Lithuanian muttered, a satisfied smirk filling her own face. Lana O'Brien, to her, was going to be nothing more than a notch in her bedpost on the way to the title. The girl hadn't been that great before, and if she'd been just sitting around for about 2 months now, then Aksana could only guess just how grossly out of shape the girl was, as the girl slid into the ring, bouncing a little in excitement.

The bell rang, Lana lunged, Aksana ducked. But when Aksana popped back up, Lana's forearm met with her neck, and she went down onto the mat, on her back. Lana muttered, "What? You thought this was going to be easy?"

"Little, yes."

"Well then, in that case, surprise, bitch." Lana said with smirk as she rolled out of the way of a sunset flip, and stood, a little shaky, but very much alive, the adrenaline very much flowing freely now. She ran at Aksana, doing a cartwheel, locking her legs around the woman's neck, flipping her to the mat, bringing them both down and from there, the two women rolled around on the mat, trying to choke one another out, or make each other tap out of various submissions.

Aksana got the upper hand just long enough to go for a huricanarana, but then Lana stood almost as soon as her back hit the mat, and with a smirk, she quickly got Aksana into the submission that was supposedly AJ's new move, the Black Widow, blatantly mocking AJ in the process. Aksana refused to tap, and when she made it to a rope, she twisted Lana into the ropes, the two of them fighting as if their lives were on the line.

Lana got untwisted by ramming her head into Aksana's stomach as Aksana launched herself at her, and then getting loose, and when she had, she pinned Aksana by kneeling one knee on her back, holding her down, her arm twisted behind her back as she leaned in and asked, "About done yet?"

"Not even." Aksana said with a smirk as she twisted them so that she was now doing to Lana what Lana had just done to her. In the back, Kaitlyn was watching intently, biting the edge of her thumb as her hand went through her hair.

In the ring, the fight continued, and when Aksana got a cord, tried to choke Lana, Lana turned the tables on her when she fought free, only barely, and then grabbed her hair, ramming her into a barricade.

Lana wasn't sure when exactly she blacked out, or when Aksana began to look more like AJ, and shockingly, Lana's father and less like herself, but it had to have been a direct effect of Aksana's choking her with the camera cord, as per the guise of their NO DQ Falls Count Anywhere match.

Both of the women were drained, bruised and sore, and barely moving, looking more like zombies than Divas as they dragged one another up the ramp, Aksana slamming Lana's head into a leg of the Tron, Lana retaliating by climbing a few feet up the Tron and jumping down, sending them both through an abandoned table from a match earlier in the night.

The bell rang, finally when neither of them moved for a good 2 and a half minutes and the ref said calmly, "And the match will be called a draw." as Lana stood groggily, limped her way backstage, s topping about halfway when she felt intense staring from behind her. She rubbed her neck, then shook her head.

Kaitlyn met her in the hallway, with Natalya in tow and the two girls high fived her and then asked, "Why not fight like that the first time you were on the roster?"

"Because until just now, guys, I didn't know I actually COULD fight like that.. I need a bottled water or a beer, something, shit." Lana muttered in shock as the two other Divas helped her down the hallway, and into catering.

She ignored the stares, and focused solely on how it'd felt to fight again, like that.

"If you keep doing that, Lana.." Kaitlyn said with smirk as Lana smirked back then said "If I keep doing that, there is no way in hell AJ Lee will ever one up either of us, again." before flopping into a chair, gasping to catch her breath, still very tired, still sporting her numerous 'battle scars' for the first night back.

She was still a little freaked out about blacking out during the fight, but she said nothing about it. Maybe she'd gotten that angry and it was what'd helped her even get a draw decision out there.

Or maybe, she was letting the rage she felt at being a doormat for so long fuel her finally. Whatever it'd been, she didn't care. She only knew that she needed it, the edge. Without it, she was nothing, she'd go back to being 'invisible' girl, when all she'd ever reallly wanted in the first place was to be able to get out there, fight in front of a crowd, feed off their energy.

And tonight, she'd done that very thing. Sure, she hadn't won, but there was always next time. And she'd made her own little statement to AJ Lee, so it wasn't a total bust of a night.

"You alright?" Kaitlyn asked as Lana nodded then said "Just tired and shocked. I mean like I said.. Never had any clue I was capable of all that out there."

"You surprised us too."

* * *

_(Authors Note: Okay, so I **love** AJ, I'm glad she's the Diva's champ, but for some reason, this small plot attacked me out of nowhere and I wrote it down. I don't know if I'll even continue it, or where it came from, but I'm going to post it. Maybe I'll continue if I get more ideas for it. If you like it, tell me. Okay, need pairing suggestions..)  
_


	5. The Aftermath Of My Match Pt 1 - Bizarre

The Aftermath Of My Return, Pt 1

The match had only just really ended, and Lana looked up from her beer as she sat in catering to find herself surrounded by Divas who looked at her oddly. She took a sip and then asked, "What?"

"Where in the hell did that come from?"

"She says she doesn't know." Kaitlyn spoke up from beside her as she sat down in the seat she'd been sitting in moments before.

"Doesn't know, huh?"

"You heard the lady, I do not know. End of story." Lana said calmly, as she finished off the beer, aimed it lazily at a trash bin nearby. She stifled a burp then after politely excusing herself, she stood and walked away from the crowd as fast as she could.

'The sharks are swimming and they smell blood now.' she muttered to herself as she found the empty parking garage, sat down on the sidewalk, lighting up a cigarette, leaning back on her hands, looking up at the sky as she sighed to herself.

It wasn't that she didn't trust anyone, okay, she didn't, but it wasn't that reason that kept her isolating herself. It was pure and simple fear. She'd let AJ befriend her, and AJ turned on her.

Everyone in her life, friend, family or other wise, sooner or later turned on her, or revealed their alterior motives. After 25 years of this stuff? One gets used to keeping everyone out to make certain one isn't hurt time and time again.

She thought she was alone until she heard a voice speak up from behind her, smelled cologne, watched in raised brow curiousity as CM Punk sat down next to her.

"Those things are bad."

"Yeah? Well we all have to die one day. They keep me calm." Lana muttered as she asked seconds later, "What's up? Did you want something, or?"

"Saw you coming out here wondered what was up.." CM Punk said as Lana exhaled then coughed a moment before answering calmly, "The sharks smelt blood. Their kind and mine don't mix well."

"What you mean is you don't trust the other girls."

"Basically, yeah. Actually, I don't trust anyone but me, Punk. You add other people to the mix, you get screwed over."

He nodded to himself then said "So.. I heard you turned down Heyman's offer?"

Lana shrugged, flicking ashes from her cigarette as she looked up and then said with a slight smirk, "Yeah.. I wasn't about to trust him with my career. If I'm gonna go big, I'm gonna do it on my own."

"Don't you ever get lonely? I mean I was there once, the top, this thing you seem to be fighting so hard to get to, like you have a million things to prove to a million people and frankly, it's lonely."

Lana shrugged and said with a slight laugh, "Wouldn't know. Guess it's a good thing I'm used to being alone then, huh?" fixing her eyes on him a moment. Then she thought back to the night she left, and then asked, "Did you come after me when I walked out that night?" giving him a curious look.

"Actually, yeah." Punk said as he raked his hand over his close cropped buzz cut and then said "I wondered where you were going, I mean you go out there, make a stand against something that was done to you that was really fucked up and then you leave?"

Lana shrugged and raking her hand through her long thick hair stood as she said "Hey.. I've never been accused of thinking anything through. I went with what I thought was best for me. It really did help a lot. I'm gonna walk back inside.."

She'd gotten to the backstage entrance/exit door and Punk called out casually, "Everyone needs someone to talk to, Lana.. If you want to talk, I'm here." before shuffling past her and into the building.

Lana bit her lip and walked back into the locker room, and promptly got into a fight with a screaming AJ who was furious at her for 'stealing' her finisher, Black Widow.

"Technically, bitch, you don't own it. But congratulations, AJ.." Lana said with a smirk as AJ stopped screaming and swearing at her long enough to look at her amused smirk as she stood leaned casually against the locker.

"Why?'

"Because you are officially the biggest idiot I know, Lee."

"Why?" AJ asked, about to lunge at her, then she thought about it, and she felt herself getting bitter when she realized that tonight, Lana did exactly what she set out to do. She'd sent a message to AJ in her own little way, and it'd gotten under her skin.

And she'd done it without AJ even being any the wiser.

"Taking your silence to mean you realize I just completely fucked your mind.. Am I right?" Lana asked as she leaned in, grabbing the other petite woman by her collar, holding her in place as she smirked and then asked, "Well? How'd it feel? Did it feel anything like what you did to Kaitlyn? To me? I hope to hell it did, AJ because that was only the beginning."

Kaitlyn high fived her as she laughed and rolled her eyes at AJ, turning her back, leaving AJ standing there screaming.

As she walked down the hallway, Natalya and Kaitlyn talking on either side of her, she found herself going back to her bizarre conversation in the parking garage with CM Punk moments before. What'd he know about her, anyway?

She shrugged it off, then tried to actively participate in the conversation going on over her head. She had to try more. Surely there was at least one person she could trust other than herself..

* * *

_(Authors Note: Okay, so I **love** AJ, I'm glad she's the Diva's champ, but for some reason, this small plot attacked me out of nowhere and I wrote it down. I don't know if I'll even continue it, or where it came from, but I'm going to post it. Maybe I'll continue if I get more ideas for it. If you like it, tell me. Okay, need pairing suggestions..)  
_


	6. Nobody's Side But My Own

Nobody's Side But My Own

She looked from Kaitlyn to the other divas and then back at Kaitlyn before doubling over in laughter. "Okay, so just because I attacked AJ, you all think I'm.. Whoa, slow your roll, Kaitlynn, because you're no different than she is. You just hide it so much better." Lana said calmly, as she looked at the two toned female standing in front of her.

"So you're saying you're not with us against her?"

"In case you missed it, girls, I work for me and me only. I'm nobody's hired attack person." Lana said stiffly as she crossed her arms, feeling tense. She hated confrontations, and if this were the old Lana, she'd shy away immediately, in fear that she'd say or do the wrong thing and people would wind up angry with her, hurt or something. Her father had made her this way, her life made her this way, it was just one of her many faults.

But she was trying to work through it. She was trying not to fall easily back into the shadows, and more importantly, she was fighting for herself now days. Nobody but herself. So by the girls thinking she was with them because she'd attacked AJ, she realized that they were finally accepting her. Too little and far too late.

She'd tried her damndest to fit in with them before, but they'd shunned her or worse, made fun of her for her efforts.

Now, they wanted her on their side, because they'd seen what her rage could make her do? It didn't work that way.

Or at least that's what she told herself later, when she sat down, thought about their question.

"We didn't want you to be that. We just thought.." Kaitlynn said quietly, as Lana looked up from her quiet contemplation and lacing her boot as she had been and said calmly, with a smirk, "What? Now that you know what I can do, you're all dying to be buddy buddy with me?"

The other Divas looked at one another and Layla said "You talk to her if you want, Kaitlynn, it's bloody obvious she's made up her mind about everyone. It's sad really."

"How's that, Layla?" Lana asked in amusment, a smirk on her face as she stared down the brunette.

"Because, we'd have all bloody been your friends before, had you just let us." Layla explained as she turned to walk off. This left Lana standing there, her hand in her thick hair as she pondered that whole thing just now to herself.

If they were saying she hadn't tried, then they should think back to everything they put her through when she did try to fit in and be 'one of the girls'. All the name calling, all the ignoring she got as a result and the humiliation.

Aj had been the only one who hadn't done that to her, and then AJ turned on her, so now Lana trusted none of them. It made sense really, but of course none of them were stopping to think of how they treated her when she was the new girl on the roster, and even before that incident with AJ earlier.

She slammed her locker door, walked out of the Divas locker room and down the hallway, into the green room, picking up a trash can, throwing it forcefully at a wall before sweeping all the papers and magazines off the small table in front of the television. "Damn it." she growled as she paced, tried to figure out if she even wanted to be on a side, or if she wanted to just create complete and total chaos on her own.

She stepped into the parking garage, and then her world went black. She sat up in a smaller and quieter room of the arena, in a chair, with her father and her two brothers pacing in front of her.

"You come back here, girl, you're gettin all this money and you're not sharing with your family?"

"Let me the hell out of here now."

"Give me some money, girl. You ain't been treating me or your brothers right."

"What you mean, dad, is I haven't been supporting your case and 3 bottle a day habit. Or my brother's drug habits. I haven't been being the good little lap dog you trained me to be. Doesn't feel so great, does it, when that lap dog turns, bites the hand that neglected to feed it for so long?"

She winced as the hard slap made contact with her face and her father's alcohol soaked breath met with her nostrils as he said "You little bitch. I took damn good care of you."

"Sure ya did. You just keep tellin yourself that too, dad. Obviously, had you taken care of me, I'd be taking care of you now, wouldn't I?"

"You're an ungrateful little brat. I knew your mama shoulda gotten rid of you. Told her a girl was only gonna make this damn family weaker." her father muttered angrily, as Lana snorted and said "Why's that? Because I didn't keep on bending over backwards to make you love me? Because I just finally walked away from you and those morons?"

"We're your family, girl, you best not go puttin on airs and forgetting that either. Now you're a big shot, we expect what we're owed. And if you're not gonna give it to us, we're gonna have to take it."

He stepped back, smirked as her brothers and herself began to fight. She'd almost gotten to the door when she got put into a choke hold. When she woke up, she was being carried by someone and she mumbled, wincing as she tried to talk and open her eyes.

Punk carried the girl down the hallway, his mind trying to wrap around what he'd seen and heard before he'd gotten her out of that room. If he hadn't had some help from Orton and Cena, as much as he hated the two of them, they'd come in handy, he didn't want to think what might have happened to Lana.

He put her down on one of the softer couches in his bus then sat down beside her.

"Back there.. Does that happen a lot?"

Lana tried to sit up, was backing away from him as she said "I don't want pity."

"I don't pity you, damn it, sit down."

Lana stopped fighting him when his hand rested on her upper arms and he asked her the question again, calmly but in a commanding way, indicating that he expected an answer.

"Only my whole life, but hey.. I'll deal with it, it's my problem." Lana muttered as she looked at her hands, not sure how well she could trust the man sitting across from her, not sure why he even came to her rescue just now.

Or why he kept popping up wherever she was lately, for that matter.

"What do you want from me?" Lana asked bluntly, as she cocked her head to the side, studied him in curiousity.

"Do I have to want something from you to want to help you?" Punk asked in disbelief as he stood, raked his hand through his spiky hair.

Lana sighed and said "Sorry, that was a bitchy thing to say, but.. It just seems like lately, everyone wants something from me. I got nothing left to give. I'm damaged goods, broken, completely fucked up. I have no emotions left. I could personally give zero flying fucks in space about anyone but me. And it feels good."

Punk studied her. He could tell the toughness was an act, fear had literally been beaten into her over a lifetime and now he saw just how high the walls he was going to have to get through were, if he really wanted to get to know her.

"Why do you want to help me?" Lana asked, her voice coming out smaller, fearfully as she studied him, the same curious expression as she'd worn seconds before.

Punk shrugged and then dug through his bags, pulling out one of his Best In The World shirts, holding it out to her, as he pointed down the hallway. "Go shower, clean off the blood. I need to see just how badly those three assholes worked you over. Who were they, anyway?"

Lana stopped in the hallway, kicking her jeans off her feet as she leaned in the small entrance and said "My dad and brothers."

This announcement made Punk almost physically sick. When she walked into the bathroom and he heard the shower running, he sat down, his jaws dropped as he tried to process what he'd just witnessed and stopped moments before, effectively.

At the hands of her own family. Now a lot of things about her made complete sense.

The cool water streamed down Lana's body and she winced at all the fresh bruises and scratches over all her older ones. She'd thought it'd be easy to just walk away from it all, not bother contacting any of them when she came back to the roster.

And then they turned up here tonight, worked her over, took all the money she had on her person. She leaned her head against the shower's wall and shut her eyes tightly.

The one question remained.. Why had CM Punk of all people come to her rescue, yet again tonight? Why did he keep showing up wherever she was lately? What did he want from her?

She found a rag, some soap and began to soap down, gaping at the blood that pored from her face and inot the clean water that went down the drain. And her mind went back through all the nights similar to this one from when she was a child, to now.

This was exactly why she was strictly watching her own back and nobody else's. Because she'd spent over 90 percent of her life trying to watch out for a father and brothers who could have given two shits about her and look where it continued to get her..

"You okay in there?" Punk called out from the hallway, straining to hear her answer over the running water. The water stopped and Lana stood in front of him, the slightly baggy shirt he'd handed her draping her, drawing his attention to her legs. He reminded himself only a bastard would be checking her out after what she'd just been through, what she'd definitely lived through he knew now.

"What?"

"Okay, let's go look at that eye and your lip." Punk said quietly, as Lana shook her head and said "I'm fine."

"No, Lana, you are not fine. This is not what fine looks like."

"I'll deal, okay? Just don't do this.. Please?" Lana asked, as she pleaded with her eyes, tried to get her wrist free from his grip and couldn't. Finally, she grumbled and said "Fine.. If you insist on playing doctor." and let him lead her down the small hallway, into the spacious living area of the bus he travelled in.

"Sit down. Now do not flinch.. I've gotta pour this on it, it's gonna sting." Punk said as his lip passed slowly over the thin silver lip ring.

"Shit. You said sting, not burn." Lana grumbled as the bubbling peroxide made contact with her lip and she said "So.. is there some special reason you're doing this, or.." and studied Punk intently, waiting on an answer.

He shrugged and then said quietly, "Because I just am."

"Look, I owe you one, I admit that. But you gotta admit, you can't blame me for being paranoid right now. You got a glimpse into my private life, you know why I can't and won't trust anyone."

"I told you before, Lana, you could trust me." Punk said as Lana looked at him, studying him quietly before saying more to herself than him, "I'm not too sure who I can trust. But thanks.. You might not be the conventional ideal of a 'good guy' or a hero, Punk.. But you're a good guy." and leaning in, pressing a quick and wary kiss to his cheek and walking out into the night.

He sat there, musing quietly to himself what he'd just witnessed and put a stop to earlier, then he picked up the phone and made a call. If he wanted her to trust him, he needed more time. He needed a better chance than he had currently.

And some of the people in creative kept saying maybe if he got a valet or something..

And this way, if her father and her brothers showed up again, he could be there like he had been tonight. He did know one thing and that was that this was going to end with him finally getting her to himself, finally showing her that while he might not be some white knight, he wasn't evil or out to get her like she seemed to think everyone was.

He wanted to be there for her, nothing was going to stop him. And in knowing this, he realized he was signing up to take the good AND the bad that came with wanting to know her better, wanting to be the guy who made her believe in all that stupid and cliche fairytale crap again.

Lana wandered around the parking garage, as she tried to figure out Punk's motives and the motives of her Diva counter parts. She scowled, because she found herself not sure if anyone could be trusted. She'd never had one good example of love or friendship, so how was she even supposed to realize what it was when it was offered?

And when the offer came from CM Punk and girls who until the night she attacked AJ, avoided her like a leper, this made her rightfully wary. Could she trust any of them?

And how was she supposed to figure it out on her own. She turned to find AJ staring at her, a hand on her hip.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Just know this.. He may not be with me, but if I want him, I'll get him. Have fun with my leftovers."

Lana rolled her eyes then shoved AJ at a wall, her hand around her throat as she said in a bitter and sinister voice, "I'll crush you, bitch.. Just remember that." before letting her go, letting her fall on her butt on the ground, walking away.

* * *

_(Authors Note: Okay, so I **love** AJ, I'm glad she's the Diva's champ, but for some reason, this small plot attacked me out of nowhere and I wrote it down. I don't know if I'll even continue it, or where it came from, but I'm going to post it. Maybe I'll continue if I get more ideas for it. If you like it, tell me. Okay, need pairing suggestions..)  
_


	7. Punk Will Not Back Down

Me? A Valet? For Him? Umm, Why Me Exactly?

Lana looked at Vince, brow raised. "And you're expecting me to believe that CM Punk just walked in here, asked for me to valet for him.. Just like that.. No reason why, no nothing? Sorry, McMahon, I'm not buyin it."

"Well, he gave a reason, Lana, but I'm not going to indulge you." Vince stated as Lana raked her hand through her hair, paced a little more, then stopped. "Okay, fine.. I still gotta ask, why me?"

"You can ask him. You two have a mixed tag team match tonight." Vince replied as Lana raised a brow, turned on her heel, walked out of the office and down the hallway, lost in thought. On the one hand, she was intrigued by his interest in her, and on the other hand..

She couldn't help but think it was coming back somehow, biting her in the ass. So she found herself readying for that moment when it would most likely just do that very thing.

She stood just behind the curtain waiting. Watch him leave her hanging, just to be a dick about it. She paced and then a throat clearing behind her had her turning rapidly, looking at him. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'm gonna get." she muttered as she asked, "Why in the name of Christ did you go to McMahon, ask me to valet for you?"

He smirked and then shrugging said mysteriously, "At least if you're valeting for me, you get the spotlight you deserve and you worked your ass off for. Besides.. Judging from what I walked in on the other night? You need someone to watch out for you."

"Ermm.. About that.. It's probably not a good idea. I mean I've seen 'em, I know how they get, it's not pretty. Ask my only boyfriend to date, a guy from my old high school.. They put him in the ICU."

Again, Punk shrugged and then smirking said "Guess it's a good thing I like to fight then, huh?" as he nudged her and said "Relax. All will be revealed."

"Yeah.. but I can't help but wonder if this all you speak of is gonna bite me right on my ass." Lana mumbled as he looked at her and then said " If it were, you'd have bled out on the floor in that room the other night, because I never would have gotten involved. I'm not a fan of bullshit, you see. I actually have a huge problem with it."

"Yet I have this really big feeling you're feeding me a load of it right now.."

"See, you just think that, Lana, because you're not used to someone being open, admitting they want something."

"That's not the problem, Punk.. The problem is me trying to figure out just what the hell it is you want."

Frankly, by this point, the Straightedge was getting fed up with talking. Better to get it out now than later, he figured, so he pinned her against the wall next to the thick black curtain, and crashed his lips against hers, smirking when he realized that kissing her was exactly what he'd figured it'd be like. Immensely satisfying.

"That answer your questions or.." he asked in amusement as he watched her stuttering, stammering, trying to decide whether to throw a punch at him or do it again. The girls mind was completely blown right now, truthfully, even though he hadn't planned on doing that, he was enjoying the reaction.

They walked down the ramp towards the ring, where Alberto Del Rio and Rosa waited, that's who they were fighting. And Lana was still trying to get her focus and her breath back.

What amazed her, really, was just how well they fought together. He didn't have any qualms about shoving her at Del Rio when she explained her plan to him, and he didn't have any problems with the double pin they went for after delivering their finishers.

The referee raised their arms in victory, and he looked at her, gave that cocky wink and smirked. As they walked back up the ramp, he asked casually, "Not bad, huh? I don't think fighting's been that fun for me in a while."

"I, err.. Thanks, I think?" Lana said as she trailed her hand through her thick hair, looked at him in confusion.. When he went to the showers, she walked out into the parking garage, sitting down on the black and chrome motorcycle, looking up at the sky.

She'd been in a daze until she heard him ask, "So.. Feel up to letting someone drive that? I've always wanted to try driving one.."

Shockingly enough, she held out the keys and then said quietly, "Try not to kill us both." as she let him get on, slid on behind him.. This entire night had been one shock after another, really.. And she had the feeling that the shocks were only just beginning.

The question still begged to be asked though... Just when was all this going to come back and bite her? When would he realize just how messed up she was and walk away too? Or be scared away by her father and brothers?

* * *

_(Authors Note: Okay, so I **love** AJ, I'm glad she's the Diva's champ, but for some reason, this small plot attacked me out of nowhere and I wrote it down. I don't know if I'll even continue it, or where it came from, but I'm going to post it. Maybe I'll continue if I get more ideas for it. If you like it, tell me. Okay, need pairing suggestions..)  
_


	8. He's Getting To Me

He's Getting To Me

They'd been working together, traveling together, as valet/wrestler for about 3 weeks now. Lana still held back as much as she could, stubbornly refusing to let CM Punk get close to her, afraid to let her guard down. Despite this, he'd stubbornly refused to give up and just walk away now. Despite anything she told him time and time again about being damaged, too fucked up for him to possibly want.

They'd had an argument earlier, before Money In The Bank, about this very thing. Lana had gotten angry, stormed off when he wouldn't just leave her be, let her self destruct on her own without worry of his being caught in the crossfire. Of course, her father had shown up an hour earlier, and she'd still been upset about that..

Calming down now as she sat in front of the smallish monitor in the green room, she gaped in horror as the man Punk viewed as a best friend betrayed him.

And then it hit her like a literal ton of bricks in the face.. Whether she liked it or not, CM Punk was somehow worming his way into her heart. She scowled a moment as she muttered quietly, "Damn it." and held her head in her hands, trying not to look at the screen, at his face as he got betrayed by Heyman.

But she just couldn't, because her mind kept going back to the night when he'd stopped her father and her brothers from beating her almost to death backstage just for whatever money she had on her person. "Damn it, Punk." she muttered as she added to herself, "I'll do this for you and we'll be even." mostly in reassurance that she was going to keep her walls up.

She jogged through the curtain, calmly glared at Paul Heyman for a moment as she smirked and dealt a swift left hook to the man, then an uppercut. "You fuck him over. You disgust me." she ground through gritted teeth as she knelt down beside the fallen Straightedge and muttered, "Damn it.. How many fingers am I holdin up, Punkers?"

"Two. I'm not concussed, Lana. Get back to the green room before you get hurt." Punk ground out stiffly as he avoided her eyes, still trying to process what'd just happened to him.

"Uh uh. Not gonna happen. I'm gonna help you up okay?" she muttered just as soon as she heard the bell ring, heard Randy announced the winner. He glared but she gave him a defiant sneer and held out her hand.

Punk studied her a moment. Right now he felt betrayed, he wasn't sure if he could really trust anyone, given the fact that he'd trusted Heyman and look where that'd gotten him.. But then he thought about all the little moments over the past three weeks and he realized that maybe, just maybe, tonight had been what he needed to get to her, finally, start the process of tearing down those high and strong walls.

So he let her pull him off the floor, and she looped his arm around her shoulders as she slid her arm around his waist, swearing all the way up the ramp about how she was going to murder Paul f'ing Heyman.

Once they got to his private backstage area, Lana grabbed a Pepsi from the cooler sitting nearby, popping the top as she held it out to him, then found a bandanna in her gear bag, was about to walk into the bathroom to wet it, but his hand closed around her wrist.

"Thanks.."

"Don't thank me. We're even now, Punk." she said as she looked at him a moment. But were they really even? Or had she done what she had just now because she knew he was getting to her.

"So that's it?"

Lana froze and stared at him, full on deer in headlights look as she tried to think of an answer. He'd been hurt enough tonight, and she knew that as much as she liked to claim otherwise, he was in fact getting to her. And lately, well.. She'd been getting really, really sick of fighting it. Especially since that kiss he'd given her and the few he snuck in since were burned permanently into her memory to the point that sometimes at night, she imagined the kisses going farther. She could almost feel what that might feel like, his hands all over her, his lips all over her.

It was pathetic, really, if one were to ask her just how vividly her mind could create something that'd probably never happen, solely based on a few stolen kisses here and there.

"No, Punk, it's not." she muttered as she moved to sit just on the edge of his lap, careful not to put her full weight on his legs, knowing he was probably sore as all hell all over currently. She leaned in, captured his lips in a cautious and wary kiss as she muttered quietly, "You happy? You're getting to me, damn it."

Punk smirked a little and then hugged her against him as he muttered quietly, "Good." as he looked down at her then asked, "So.. were you wearing the brass knuckles when you hit Heyman?"

Lana's smirk answered his question and he chuckled, shaking his head as he said calmly, " Thanks for coming down there tonight.. Even if it was stupid of you to do so, because you might of gotten hurt in the process."

"I can handle it, Punk." she muttered as she added, "Now... What are we gonna do about that walrus? Because there is no way in hell I'm letting him get away with what he did tonight."

Punk shrugged and then said quietly, "Personally? I'd really rather take a shower, get some rest. Help me to the bus?" as he gave her his best 'pretending to be hurt' look.

"Fine." Lana muttered as she feigned irritation, but smiled a little, helped him up and out the back door of the arena, to his tour bus, then onto it. "Let's get your face cleaned off.. That cut might need stitches."

"Oh no.. No ya don't." Punk said as Lana stared him down, her hand on her hip. "Oh really.. Is this you admitting you don't like stitches or?"

"No, it's me saying I just want to rest. I'm fine, okay.. Just get over here with me, let's watch Walking Dead or something. I just want to forget about what just happened."

She nodded and sat down, the two of them falling into a comfortable silence as they turned on the television, flipping through channels.

* * *

_(Authors Note: Okay, so I **love** AJ, I'm glad she's the Diva's champ, but for some reason, this small plot attacked me out of nowhere and I wrote it down. I don't know if I'll even continue it, or where it came from, but I'm going to post it. Maybe I'll continue if I get more ideas for it. If you like it, tell me. Okay, need pairing suggestions..)  
_


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